1. RESEARCH PROPOSAL BY Mr. Meshack K. Korir JKUAT
ASSESSMENT OF POSTHARVEST LOSSES OF RICE: A CASE STUDY OF MWEA AND WESTERN IRRIGATION SCHEMES OF KENYA
RESEARCH PROPOSAL BY Mr. Meshack K. Korir JKUAT
17/04/2017

2. INTRODUCTION
Rice is the third most important staple food in Kenya after maize and wheat
According to NIB, 95% of rice in Kenya is grown under irrigation while the rest grow under rain fed condition
Due to production inefficiencies and increased demand of rice, Kenya is only able to meet 20 % of its needs
NIB has estimated per capita rice consumption of 7 kg which is expected to increase to 11kg by 2015
17/04/2017

3. INTRODUCTION
MOA of Kenya has estimated annual consumption of rice to increase at a rate of 12% compared to 4 % for wheat and 1% for maize
This is as a result of increasing consumption of rice due to changing eating habits particularly for the urban consumers
Therefore, rice production need to be increased if the rising demand for rice is to be met.
17/04/2017

4. INTRODUCTION Rice availability and accessibility can be increased by:
increasing production,
improving distribution and
reducing the losses
Thus, reduction of postharvest losses is a critical component of ensuring future national food security.
17/04/2017

5. INTRODUCTION Postharvest Food Loss can be quantitative or qualitative
Quantitative is measured by decreased weight or volume (Weight loss during drying process and de- husking are not PHL)
Qualitative is reduced nutrient value and unwanted changes to taste, color, texture, or cosmetic features of food
17/04/2017

6. INTRODUCTION Problem statement and justification
Research on the improvement of rice production has received considerable attention and funding compared to postharvest activities
In Sub-Saharan Africa: quantitative postharvest losses is 10 to 22%
Minimizing PHL could translate to reduction in:
rice imports,
economic losses
Food security
17/04/2017

7. INTRODUCTION Problem statement and justification
In Kenya, there is inadequate information on postharvest losses of rice with regards to:
What ?
Where? and
Why? the losses occur in the production system
For effective reduction of losses, it is important to estimate the losses and the stages at which they occur
17/04/2017

8. Broad objective
To assess the postharvest losses that occur in rice from harvesting to milling at Mwea, Ahero, West Kano and Bunyala irrigation schemes of Kenya and hence sound scientific solutions
Specific objectives
To gather information on postharvest losses of rice in Ahero, West Kano and Bunyala irrigation schemes
To determine postharvest losses of rice at harvesting, threshing, drying, storage and milling.
17/04/2017

9. LITERATURE REVIEW Postharvest loss profile of rice
PHL of rice occur at various stage which include:
Harvesting
Threshing
Drying
storage
milling
17/04/2017

10. LITERATURE REVIEW Postharvest loss profile of rice 1.Harvest Losses
Method of harvesting is link to losses. Too much paddy handling create problems both in quality and quantity (NAPHIRE, 1997)
In kenya and other developing countries traditional manual methods such as sickle methods are the most common.
17/04/2017

11. LITERATURE REVIEW Threshing losses depend on the method used
Postharvest loss profile of rice
2.Threshing Losses
Threshing losses depend on the method used
The methods are generally classified as manual, animal or mechanical (FAO, 1997).
The simplest threshing systems for rice is striking the panicles against a hard surface. Others include:
Trampling underfoot
Driving the animals over a layer of sheaves about 30cm thick
Treading out which is accomplished with vehicle or tractor
17/04/2017

12. LITERATURE REVIEW Postharvest loss profile of rice
3. Losses during drying
Drying period of harvested paddy rice depends on whether it will be stored for a short or long period or whether it is intended for milling.
Sun drying is traditional method of drying the harvested rice
The crop is either left in the field to dry after reaping before threshing, or spread out on mats or pavements after threshing.
Most losses in drying occur due to:
poor technical performance of the technology or
improper use of the technology,
17/04/2017

13. LITERATURE REVIEW Postharvest loss profile of rice 4. Storage losses
Pest infestation due to insects, rodents, and birds is a real threat when paddy or milled rice is stored.
Measures to control infestation include fumigation of the stock with phosphine gas
17/04/2017

14. LITERATURE REVIEW Postharvest loss profile of rice 5.Milling losses
According to De Padua (1999), milling losses are due to;
Inherent poor technical performance of milling machinery,
Operator ineptitude
Impact: poor milling yields
Rice breakage during the milling process increased with the decreasing kernel diameter (Matthews and Spadaro, 1976)
17/04/2017

15. LITERATURE REVIEW Postharvest loss profile of rice 5.Milling losses
Rice breakage during the milling process decreased with the increasing paddy moisture content in the range of 12 to 16% (Dilday, 1987)
To have a high quality milling process with reasonable rice breakage, paddy must be harvested at the optimum moisture content and at the suitable stage of maturity (Luh, 1991)
Long and tiny rice kernels are more susceptible to breakage during the milling process (Clement and Seguy, 1994)
17/04/2017

16. METHODOLOGY Study Area The study will be conducted at: Mwea Ahero
West Kano and
Bunyala irrigation schemes
The study will be done in two phases:
Baseline survey and
A field work
17/04/2017

17. METHODOLOGY A baseline Survey
A baseline survey will be conducted in the study areas
Well structured questionnaires will be used for abstracting information on farmers’ perception and knowledge of postharvest losses of rice
This will be complemented through information obtained from interviews and target group discussions
Stakeholders and scientist will be engaged in evaluating the postharvest losses in rice in the study areas as well as look for possible solutions
17/04/2017

18. METHODOLOGY Field work
Two rice varieties Bismati 370 and R will be evaluated
Planting area: 4m by 5m
Farm operation to be carried out include:
Land clearing
ploughing,
retovation,
raising nursery for seedlings and
transplanting
17/04/2017

19. METHODOLOGY Measurement of postharvest losses of rice
1. Harvesting losses
The rice plots will be divided into quadrants
Skilled harvesters will be allowed to harvest using commonly used harvesting methods in the study area
Left over rice grains on the harvested plots (both on the ground and on unharvested standing plants) were thoroughly collected, cleaned, dried, weighed and stored.
17/04/2017

20. METHODOLOGY Measurement of postharvest losses of rice
1. Harvesting losses
Percentages of harvesting losses were determined using the method described by Badawi (2003) equation 1.
In this equation, HL is the percentage harvesting losses, Lo is the left over paddy, Tt is the total harvested paddy
(1)
17/04/2017

21. METHODOLOGY Measurement of postharvest losses of rice
2. Threshing losses
Threshing methods in the study areas will be evaluated
After threshing, all the rice grains that will fall out during threshing process will be collected, cleaned, dried and weighed
All rice grains remaining on the stalks after threshing will also be collected, cleaned, dried and weighed
(1)
17/04/2017

22. METHODOLOGY Measurement of postharvest losses of rice
2. Threshing losses
Threshing losses will be evaluated base on the equation 2
In this equation, TL is percentage threshing losses, WO is the weight of left over grains and WT is the total weight of collected grains
(2)
17/04/2017

23. METHODOLOGY Measurement of postharvest losses of rice 3. Drying losses
Dried paddy rice will be gathered and collected, the paddy that will be left out after gathering will also be collected
Drying losses will be computed using equation 3
In this equation, WL is percentage weight loss during drying, WO is the weight of left over paddy and Wc is the total weight of collected grains
(3)
17/04/2017

24. METHODOLOGY (4) Measurement of postharvest losses of rice
4. Storage losses
Dried paddy rice will be weighed and stored
After 60days of storage the paddy will be reweighed
Storage losses will be determined based on equation 4
In this equation, WS is percentage weight loss during storage, WI is the initial weight of paddy and WF is the final weight of paddy rice
(4)
17/04/2017

25. METHODOLOGY (4) Measurement of postharvest losses of rice
5. Milling losses
Performance of different milling machines will be evaluated on their rice milling yields
Milling yield will be calculated based on equation 4
In this equation, WY is percentage milling yield, Ww is the weight of white rice and WP is the weight of paddy
(4)
17/04/2017

26. METHODOLOGY
Measurement of postharvest losses of rice
5. Milling losses
The grains after milling will be subjected to head grain count to determine breakages
A sample of milled rice will be taken
Head grains (unbroken grains) were separated from the broken grains and weighed
The percentages of broken and unbroken grains will be determined
17/04/2017

27. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 will be used to analyze the responses on farmer’s perception of post harvest losses.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be performed on experimental data collected using GENSTAT Discovery Edition 3 and separation of treatment means will be done using the LSD at 5% level of significance.
17/04/2017

28. EXPECTED RESULTS This study is expected to:
provide farmer’s information in regard to perception and knowledge on postharvest losses
Establish and document losses figures of rice in the study areas
17/04/2017

29. WORK PLAN
17/04/2017

30. BUDGET
17/04/2017

31. REFERENCES
Clement, G. and Seguy J. I. (1994). Behavior of rice during processing. Journal of Agriculture and Development. 16:38-46.
De Padua, D. (1999). Grain Post Production Systems. Agricultural Engineering Division, International Rice Research Institute Philippines.[ ssed 10th May 2010]
Dilday, R. H. (1987). Genetic effects determining rice grain weight and grain density qualities. [www. springerlink.com/indexpdf] [Accessed 2nd March 2010]
Korir, BEED
17/04/2017

32. REFERENCES
F.A.O. (2007). Estimates of Post Harvest Losses of Rice in South East Asia. Available on line at [ FACTFILE/FF9712- EHTM][Accessed 2nd May 2010]
Golletti, F. and Wolf, C. (1999). The Impact of Post Harvest Research. M.S.S Discussion Paper No 29 International Food Policy Institute, Washington DC. [ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/25716/1/pp0612 0pdf][Accessed 6th March 2010]
Matthews, J. and Spadaro, J. J. (1976). Comparison of different rice milling methods. [ 2&context=ijfe]. [Accessed 16th May 2010]
Korir, BEED
17/04/2017

33. REFERENCES
NAPHIRE (1997). Technical guide on grain post harvest operation. Munos Neuva Ecija , Philippines. National Post Harvest Institute for Research and Extension.[ xt/ch10-05.htm][Accessed 15th May 2010]
Korir, BEED
17/04/2017

34. Thank you
Korir, BEED
17/04/2017